A Brief Analysis of Semantic Interactions Between Loanwords and Native Words in the Tang Dynasty

Loanwords are words borrowed from another language. This paper conducts case studies of Chinese loanwords in the Tang Dynasty, including both transliterated and liberally translated words, e.g. “Kurung slave”, “lion”, “camel bird” and “nail aromatic”. With synchronic and diachronic analysis, the study finds that the incorporation of loanwords not only brings in new words, but also triggers semantic interactions between loanwords and native words, resulting in the misconception of both loanwords and native words.